Thrift store pricing increases again?

[stonevintage]

Seems like the thrift stores are getting a little greedy.  Price increases averaging 15% per year for the last 3 years, especially on general clothing and speciality or NWT items.

A used pullover sweatshirt or pair of used sweatpants here was 3.95 three years ago.  Now, they're all asking 5.95-6.95.  Run of the mill, no name brands.

Decor items.. with the Ross "compare at 9.99 stickers",  yours for a great bargin of 4.99.   I guess here, half price of what item was new - is their best deal to offer.  Apparently, items fallen out of trend have no impact on their pricing considerations.  Lots of owl and elephant figurines of all shapes and sizes getting donated now cause they're over - but still marked at on trend prices. 

 Don't they know, before these new items were donated - they were likely offered at half price or better in the retail store before they did their shelf pull and donated them???

Anyone else notice yet another price jump in the last month or so?  The winter clothes just coming out now have about a 30% jump in last years pricing:(

[imakesugar]

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@retrose1 wrote:

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@emerald40 wrote:

You missed my point

Poster said there was $19.99 items

And $7 items.

I would have loved to see the poor person for once get the top dollar item.

And that is why for the annual coat and mittens giveaway here on Thanksgiving Day we only put out good quality, lightly worn, clean items so everyone can feel proud to wear it, especially the children so they are not made fun of at school.

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I read that and I understand that you probably threw away hundreds of items that hundreds of the needy would have loved to have on a cold day.  Do you actually tell them when you turn them away, I'm sorry, we are out of warm clothes to give you because we threw away the ones that looked used and weren't made by designers.

And considering that some kids are being killed for the designer kicks on their feet, designer would be the last thing I would want to put on people.  Gives the impression that they have money that can be stolen.

The Red Cross head gave an interview today where once again, they said that while they are grateful to those that are giving so much, they ONLY want new items or money to buy new stuff.  I am very sure that those who have no homes and no dry clothes on their backs will not care that the clean dry sweatshirt they get is used and not by a designer.

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@retrose1 wrote:

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@emerald40 wrote:

You missed my point

Poster said there was $19.99 items

And $7 items.

I would have loved to see the poor person for once get the top dollar item.

And that is why for the annual coat and mittens giveaway here on Thanksgiving Day we only put out good quality, lightly worn, clean items so everyone can feel proud to wear it, especially the children so they are not made fun of at school.

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I read that and I understand that you probably threw away hundreds of items that hundreds of the needy would have loved to have on a cold day.  Do you actually tell them when you turn them away, I'm sorry, we are out of warm clothes to give you because we threw away the ones that looked used and weren't made by designers.

And considering that some kids are being killed for the designer kicks on their feet, designer would be the last thing I would want to put on people.  Gives the impression that they have money that can be stolen.

The Red Cross head gave an interview today where once again, they said that while they are grateful to those that are giving so much, they ONLY want new items or money to buy new stuff.  I am very sure that those who have no homes and no dry clothes on their backs will not care that the clean dry sweatshirt they get is used and not by a designer.

(1) I agree, what can't poor kids get nice things! When I was on assistance I always got junkie coats at the give aways so I quit going to them.

I always had a k-mart layaway plan going. I would put stuff on Lay-away at K-mart in the August and budget it in so by the time the kids needed winter gear ( I live in North MN and we need really warm gear) Then It would be paid for when they needed it. Then I would put the Christmas gifts for them on layaway.  In the early spring I'd go to kMart and layaway the summer clothes they needed, In the summer I would put the school clothes and school supplies on layaway. It worked out well. kMart would discount items as they were marked down on the items I had on layaway so I could usually put more than I could afford and end up paying 65% of full retail. I also got the jump on everyone else and could pick the more quality things and get things that went together and matched...

The homeless shelter served supper everyday and I would take the kids to the church to have supper and socialize. ( I also volunteered to cook several times a month.) people who lived there loved visiting with them and it helped both parties. The Homeless didn't feel so ostersized, and My kids saw that other people had it worse and that they were blessed by what they had. Win/Win.

Stores like Pennies, Sears, Macys, (Daytons then) would donate All their returns to the shelter. Everyone going to the shelter was thoughtful to not take more than they needed and left stuff for other families.  It was always hit or miss sometimes it would be a box of kids clothing, sometimes teens sizes sometimes womens clothing etc. We all shared...Then some migrants found about it and started  taking everything good! (before internet)They would take it down to Mexico and resell the stuff. After 10 years of NO problems they had to put a ONE outfit limit on the donations.

As far as Resellers coming in and taking or picking the good stuff, I think it is first come first served. If the poor want to get good stuff like everyone else they need to check the thrift stores often and  buy when they can find the good stuff. 

We had that 500 year flood here in 1997. Truck loads of stuff filled a wharehouse from donations. Everyone could take a shopping cart and get what they wanted and or needed. It was like Christmas! Everyone was happy to get items to replace what they had lost. It worked well getting the donations from the nation and replacing their items. I also have to say Americans did not give junkie stained stuff. They cleaned their houses and gave unwanted stuff. Most of it was new or nearly new.

FEMA does help...but mostly to pay for houses, businesses etc. and mostly for Larger things. So the donations do/did help a lot.

Red Cross is a joke. I can tell You from experience. The States SUED THE RED Cross here for getting millions of dollars to help the victims of the flood and NOT giving it to the flood victims and a majority of the Money goes back into the Red Cross. (They settled out of court for an undisclosed amount of money).... They use much of it to fund their OTHER programs!  On TV we'd hear that the Red Cross was collecting funds for the flood and would say we helped 150,000 people in the flood zone.

Do You know what help they were giving?They passed OUT mop pails, cleaning products and mops and brooms They counted each mop pail kit they gave as One PERSON THEY HELPED. They did NOT care How many each family toke. I toke 2. so that counted as 2 people they HELPED!!!  : I found them kits in the garbage piles for years! 

Many people who went to them for genuine needs DID NOT GET ANYTHING! I went in to get help because My pipes broke because the flood happened in early April and it was still below freezing here and they turned me down flat! I did not get nearly enough to fix my plumbing from Fema either. It might have been enough to fix my pipes in a normal situation but of course Plumbers jacked up their prices and the money would not cover the problems.

RED Cross told me that FEMA would cover those expenses so I was not eligible for help. Then they blamed me for NOT having fuel in My tank so It was MY fault! Yeah right...My propane supplier was totally flooded and could NOT get to me to refill MY tank! It was an unusually cold April and I went through lots of fuel during that time. 

In this Area the **bleep** and Abuse uses the clothing, furniture, household, and personal care  items donationed to get Mothers and families on their feet. They give them away free and DON'T pick through and take the BEST stuff out. None of it is sold. So when they can get a mother 

housing they go in and pick what they need. When they left the situation they also can go and get clothing for their kids and themselves. So, please don't forget about them. They use everything donated. None of it is sold for rags, or to make more money! 

Some one mentioned that there are many people who Buy and sell just to survive. I am in that class. My money lookes good on paper, but when You figure out My budget then I am one of those $5.00 away from getting benefits. Federal and state Taxes, about 35% of My wages, I have to pay monthly for Obama care and also pay co-pays for Dr. Visits and Medications, (All of that money is still counted as income.) Car insurance, house Taxes, Food, personal care items. I am not eligible for ANY help... I don't mind that, I am way better off than many people. I do budget My money though. I buy and Sell to pay for other needs and things I want...

Sorry to be such a chatty Cathey about all this. I just really think some stuff needs to be exposed. I was raised in a decent middle class family and had NO idea what living on the edge was like...I know there are many out there that don't!

Like Paul the Aposile said, I have been poor, I have been rich and I give thanks to the Lord no matter what My cicumstances are.   Sugar

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[grapplingmonkey]

I own a Thrift Store,  and follow the advise my dad gave me when we use togo Garage sale shopping. Its only worth what you can sell it for. In my experince resellers are the life blood of my store. I have my store set up where I add new stock 2 times a week and on new stock days we have a line out the door to get in.  We buy storage units at auction and sell it thru the store. we dont take donations{ 95% of which is garbage anyways} Once a month I clean store out off stuff that hasnt sold.

For me items are not priced at what i think they should be  worth but what can I get somebody to buy it for right now. Every customer that walks in has a certain amount of money to spend and I want to get most of it. In the end I have stuff that I want to turn into cash. 

[rixstuff]

Most of the Goodwills in our area have fixed pricing - say a shirt is $3.99, pants $5.99.  Depending on the item, that $3.99 can be a bargain if it is like new designer or a rip off if it is Mart brand and falling apart.  They do have the color tag system though so after 30 days the prices drop 25%, then 50%, then it is "gone" I know not where. Maybe sent to third world countries.

[d-k_treasures]

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@emerald40 wrote:

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@retrose1 wrote:

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@emerald40 wrote:

You missed my point

Poster said there was $19.99 items

And $7 items.

I would have loved to see the poor person for once get the top dollar item.

And that is why for the annual coat and mittens giveaway here on Thanksgiving Day we only put out good quality, lightly worn, clean items so everyone can feel proud to wear it, especially the children so they are not made fun of at school.

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I read that and I understand that you probably threw away hundreds of items that hundreds of the needy would have loved to have on a cold day.  Do you actually tell them when you turn them away, I'm sorry, we are out of warm clothes to give you because we threw away the ones that looked used and weren't made by designers.

And considering that some kids are being killed for the designer kicks on their feet, designer would be the last thing I would want to put on people.  Gives the impression that they have money that can be stolen.

The Red Cross head gave an interview today where once again, they said that while they are grateful to those that are giving so much, they ONLY want new items or money to buy new stuff.  I am very sure that those who have no homes and no dry clothes on their backs will not care that the clean dry sweatshirt they get is used and not by a designer.

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I might have not made myself clear.  It has nothing to do with designer but all to do with making people feel good about themselves.

That is why we do not hand out worn, ripped, stained items.  All items must be clean and lightly used.

As far as Red Cross, they are probably doing this so they do not get items that are  inappropriate, similar to what some people drop off at Good Will.  They could have said lightly worn, but maybe they were afraid that would be subjective. 

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If, as in the case of the islands that were 95% destroyed, I can't think of anything unappropriate at this time, except for winter coats. And even those could be used as blankets for kids at night.

[plumbingspecials]

Costs almost always go up. Seriously. 

[stonevintage]

The thrift stores policy here is that no one that asks for help with basic necessities at a thrift will be turned away.  I've seen it time and time again.  The manager will take that person into the office and talk confidentially with them.  An hour later, with approvals given and phone calls made - the person/family is given a voucher/store credit to select what they need. 

Often, it is a domestic abuse situation where mom is fleeing from an abuser.  Sometimes a broken family whose income provider has been arrested for drugs, crime etc.  Also, strangers to the state where they've just stepped off the Greyhound and want to try to make a new life in our community.    These people are given support contact numbers where immediate safe shelter is provided.  They are help with obtaining clean housing and then they come back with the vouchers where they select beds, cooking supplies, clothing and those are delivered by the thrift store trucks.  

You don't see this, it's handled confidentially and behind the scenes.  

[lookng2015]

Not sure if the other for charity thrifts do this, but I know our SA doesn't always put everything they get into their stores. They have a separate warehouse where good furnishings, kitchenware etc are stored and that's where they direct those who need such help go to get the things they need. Anything else they do also give vouchers for them to select additional items from the stores themselves.

[stonevintage]

No, I live in a small city in North Idaho.  I have lived in large Metro cities before and I know this kind of effort wouldn't work in areas where they would be over run with requests.  It dosen't happen that often here.   It's not publicized or advertised and when it does happen it gets taken care of.  Because we are small and the networks are tight.. it's very difficult for anyone to abuse the system.  

Will probably get out of hand in the future but for now, it works.  Those that need a hand get it and walk the line.  Those that don't,  we have room in the prison and adequate child care protection agencies to help them along to eventually walk the line.

[retrose1]

Sugar, I'm not going to waste a lot of space by inserting the whole quote and instead go with what I am responding to.....

(1) I agree, what can't poor kids get nice things! When I was on assistance I always got junkie coats at the give aways so I quit going to them.

I always had a k-mart layaway plan going. I would put stuff on Lay-away at K-mart in the August and budget it in so by the time the kids needed winter gear ( I live in North MN and we need really warm gear)

And you just proved my point that I made upthread about what consititutes designer.   Right now I am breaking out the wool, down and cashmere coats and sweaters by such brands Eddie Bauer, Polo, LL Bean, and so on.  Coats that have very little wear or just need a button replaced, they are far from junkie - AND I got them after they have been sitting in the thrift stores for at least 4 weeks and were marked down to the point that I could get them 2 for a buck!  So it isn't like the poor never had a chance at them.  And yet, many will pass them up because they are used and used is junkie to them, and would rather spend loads more money to buy something new - even if it is marked down.

And I have already sold 3 for enough that everything I bought this summer to stash for fall is paid for.

I respect frugal, I admire anyone that lives frugal.  I believe that the world would be a much better place if people lived more the lifestyle of the war 40s, less waste and greed.   But I am getting very tired of the growing attitude that buying markdown new is frugal, when you still have a lot of use left in what you have OR there are options available that you can buy much, much better used.  The buy new culture that is taking over is what is feeding the Chinese infestation and overflowing the landfills.

[stonevintage]

Agree 100%.  Thrift stores have been my lifeline for decades.  For the 25 years I was working full time and not in need for anything - I still shopped the thrift stores for most of my needs... it seemed silly not to.  There, I could afford better quality clothing.

Lol, just retiring my two winter coats this year. I bought them used at a thrift and they have lasted me 17 years!  That's in North Idaho with every day use for 8 months per year.  Quality at affordable price.

I just purchased new winter coats with the damage insurance money from the March roof failures.  They are cheaply made, even the London Fog brand now.

Purchased a used tough as nails winter coat at the thrift for 3.00 half price on the holiday think it was new in the 90's but it's in great shape, worn little....  Lol, we'll see which of these lasts longer and does the job better.   

[emerald40]

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@moondogblues wrote:
"Save that for those who boast on here about buying an item for a $ and selling it for $$$ and gloating about it."

Well they don't gloat on HERE about it, but by that token the distributors and middlemen for every product in the world, should not be allowed to make a profit? How utterly ridiculous.

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Again you are confusing a business with a charity.

Middlemen whould not be shopping at places where donations are meant for those who truely need them.

[emerald40]

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@nowthatsjustducky wrote:

And when you buy something like the rare UK exclusive Care Bear Cousin I found for 35 cents at Vinnie's, then turn around and sell it for $950; well that has to be gloated about.  Just no way around it.  😄

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I guess you did not give any money back in the form of a donation to the charity?

Rhetorical question.

[emerald40]

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@yuzuha wrote:

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@emerald40 wrote:

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@rolenboy01 wrote:

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emerald40 refuses to understand it, I am given discounts because I shop at the local thrift store so much, they like me and value my business, they certainly don't act like I am "taking away" from someone because quite frankly they have so many donations, they have to constantly keep things moving, they always have so much clothing they have to keep atleast 5 large racks outside.

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I am sure they value your business.  Most would if you are paying an honest price for it.

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If you are paying the price on the price tag, you are paying an honest price for it.

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It has already been established that those who work there are not always correct in their pricing.  So a word to them would be the honorable thing to do.

[nowthatsjustducky]

And even though your Q was rhetorical, I will say that considering I continued to buy from them several times a week before I moved a couple years ago, I was in a constant state of supporting them by pumping money back into their thrift store, and also donated plenty of goods to them.

And it always felt strangely thrilling going in and seeing stuff I donated actually out on the shelves at sensible prices, and then a few days later, going back and seeing those items were sold already.

[emerald40]

So that is how charity works?  I donate so I have no problem with a $950 profit.

Uh, no.